Improvement in electric railroad-signals



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. I. OONKLI'N, Jr. I Electric Railroad-Signal.

No. 222,383. Patented Dec. 9, 1879,.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

vJ. I. GONKLIN, Jr. Electric Railroad-Signal.

No. 222,383. Patented Dec. 9,1879.

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| M PROVEMENT INVtELEC TRIC RAI LROAD SlGNALsa -j Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.5222,383, dated December 9, i879; application tiled March 10, 1879. t

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, J OSEPHI. CoNKLIN, J r.,

of the cityand State of New York, have'invented an Improvement in Railway Electric Signals, of which the following is aspecification.

Signals for railways have been made to turn a quarter of a revolution to make a given signal, and to turn back again to the original position to remove that signal. A reference is hereby made to Letters Patent No.183,64t2, granted to me, in which such a movement is t given to the signal.

simple and suitable railway-signals.

Heretofore it has been usual'to place the circuit-closer under the rail and in such a position My present invention is for renderin g more f as to be acted upon by the passing train depressing the same. The elevation ofthe rail by the action of frost in the earth often disarranges the relative position of the circuit-closer to t the bottom of the rail and interferes with the proper closing of the'circuit.

I make use of a circuit-closing device connected directly to the rail itself,'so as always to be in the proper position in relation to the rail, and I simplify the construction of the signaling apparatus, so that it will be turned first I one way and then the other by the action of an electro-magnet, armature, and levers.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the signaling-instrument and a diagram of the circuit-connections. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the signaling apparatus, partially in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the circuitcloser. Fig. 4 is a partial cross-section of the same; and Fig. 5 is a sectional plan at the line I The armature a is pivoted, at b, above the electro-inagnet c, and there is a'lever-arm, d,

extending downwardly to near the vertical shaft 6, the upper end of which shaft is'made with or receives the signal 6, such as a wire hoop with a red fabric attached to it. By the 7 preconcerted code it is understood that when the face of this signal is visible one character of sign is indicated, such as Danger, and when the hoop is edgewise to the approaching train, another sign, such as Safety, is indicated. To give this sign the shaft 1 0 receives a quarter-turn, first one way and then the other- 4 There is a horizontal arm, 2', projecting from the shaft 0 at the end of, or in the path of,' the lever-arm d, and as the armature a is attracted the arm 73 is pressed by the end of d and the shaft e rotated a quarter of a turn, and in so doing the second arm, 0, upon this shaft 0 is turned around from beneath the plate orflat end of'the lever l, and that lever. 1 falls and holds the signal in its turned position. During this motion the spring It has been strained slightly both by the pressure of the'arm d and the momentum of the swinging signal. v

When the electro-magnet, therefore, is energized by the passage of the electric current, this signal is set; but when the electro-magnet carried down, depressing one end of the lever l, and raising the latch end and liberating the shaft e,sothat the spring h revolves it back again tothe normal position of safety]! and in so doing the arm 6 turns toward the pusher k and slackens the spring 5, so that the projec-y tion 3 is out of the way of the armature when it is again attracted to set the signal.

The armature-spring Sdraws back the lever d, and the screw 9 limits the movement of the armature and lever.

As soon as the track circuit-closer is once;

depressed and a current sent through the electro-magnet it is necessary to break the circuit to the magnet to prevent the wheels-that subsequently act on the circuit-closer changing the signal. I accomplish this objectby the spring r between the points 10 and 11. This spring is connected at its moving end to the arm '6 on the shaft 6.

'In the normal position of safety the spring 1" rests against 10; hence the'circuit is closed from the battery-wire B throughs, 10, and a" to the electro-magnet thence by t to the circuit-closer on the track; and when the ground is connected by the wheels. passing the track circuit-closer a pulsation passes from the battery-wire to the earth and turns the signal to danger. As the shaft 0 ispartially rotated the spring ris drawn from 10 to 11, and the circuit from 8 broken, so that the further passage of wheels over the track circuit-closer has no more influence on the signal until a current is sent from a distant track circuitcloser, which, coming over line L, enters at 1., passes by the electro-magnet and spring 1" to 11, and thence by u to a ground. This second energizing of the electro-magnet unlatches the arm I and restores the signal to safety, as aforesaid.

The track circuit-closer is made of the lever 11*, that is pivoted at one end to a bolt, 18, passing through one of the fish-bars, and the mov; ing end rests upon a block, 19, of india-rubber. This block 19 rests upon the flange of the rail, or upon a flat support, 20, that is formed by a clip, a", that passes across beneath the rail, and this clip extends up to form a guide to the moving end of the lever 10.

Within the rubber block 19 there is a spring contact block, 22, and fixed circuit -closing studs 23. The movementof the lever w,by the passing train depressing the said lever w, brings the block 22 into contact with the studs 23 and closes the circuit through such studs.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with the electro-magnet, signal, and shaft 0, the armature-lever at, arms i and o, and latch-lever l, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the electro-magnet, armature a, lever d, latch l, pusher k, shaft 0, and signal, substantially as set forth.

3. The circuit-closing lever w, pivoted to the rail, in combinationwith the clip .00 and spring circuit-closer resting upon the flange of the rail, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 3d day of March, A. D. 1879.

J. I. OONKLIN, JR.

Witnesses:

R031. A. STURGEON, GEO. T. PINGKNEY. 

